1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a disposable sitz bath for use with a conventional toilet.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sitz baths, or bidets, have commonly been used in connection with perineal hygiene, particularly for feminine hygiene. Sitz baths are often prescribed by doctors as therapy to provide relief from discomfort in the vaginal and rectal areas following incisions made at the time of child birth or rectal surgery. The device may also be used to treat pyogenic infections of the vulvar and/or rectal areas in women and the perirectal and/or scrotal areas in men. In addition to providing relief from discomfort, the sitz bath has been found to promote healing through better maintenance of hygiene in the rectal-genital areas.
Despite the advantages of a sitz bath, such fixtures have not been widely used in this country primarily because early sitz baths were constructed of preformed rigid materials, resulting in a clumsy, relatively bulky device, inconvenient for travel or storage. In addition, such devices were relatively expensive and had to be disinfected and cleaned between each use.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,748 to Perlman discloses a bowl having upwardly extending flanges to embrace the seat of a toilet. The Perlman sitz bath is constructed of a rigid plastic (polyethylene), making the device relatively bulky and unhandy. In addition to being difficult to clean and disinfect, drainage of the Perlman device can be strenuous if the person using the sitz bath is infirmed, as the bath must be lifted and tipped for drainage.
Numerous rigid plastic sitz baths have been disclosed, including U.S. Pat. No. 3,490,079 to Stolbach, U.S. Pat. No. 3,484,872 to Romberger et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 2,426,303 to Graber. Each of these devices utilizes a rigid bowl or basin which mounts on top of a conventional toilet. In addition to the problems discussed above, the volume of devices of this type is restricted in that the bowl or basin must remain above the water level of the toilet in order to prevent the relatively cold water in the toilet from cooling the warm water within the sitz bath.
Contemporary sitz baths have addressed the problems encountered with the previous devices by using a thin plastic film which is disposable after use as well as being lightweight. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,452 to Alt discloses a disposable, sanitary, collapsible bidet formed by a plastic envelope which slides over and around a toilet seat. Two walls of the envelope sag into the hole in the seat to form a two-ply liquid receptacle which is supported by the toilet seat. The Alt sitz bath does not provide for an overflow drain which is necessary to prevent water from the sitz bath from running onto the floor. An additional difficulty posed by the Alt sitz bath is the insufficient size of the liquid receptacle. As the Alt device is disposed entirely within the toilet seat, it is difficult to achieve sufficient submersion of the rectal-genital region to realize the entire benefit of a sitz bath.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,966 to Rubin discloses a portable and collapsible sitz bath receptacle constructed of a substantially rigid ring enclosed within an envelope of a plastic material. The rigid ring is designed to rest on top of the toilet bowl such that the envelope surrounding it can be pushed through the ring into the toilet bowl, thus forming a liquid receptacle for use as a sitz bath. In addition to a lack of an overflow drain and a relatively small volume liquid receptacle, the Rubin sitz bath is not economical in that the rigid ring is relatively expensive to produce in comparison to the plastic envelope. It is desirable to have a wholly disposable sitz bath which provides a sufficient volume to entirely submerge the rectal-genital region of the person using the device while being economical to produce.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,324,008 to Carr discloses a disposable sitz bath constructed of a flexible membrane which is designed to line a conventional toilet bowl. In addition, the Carr device provides for an integral overflow pipe for the discharge of excess fluid from the sitz bath. Adhesive tabs are used to secure the peripheral edges of the sitz bath to the outside of the toilet. The overflow pipe must be constructed of a relatively rigid material in order to remain open under the weight of the fluid within the flexible membrane, substantially increasing the cost of the sitz bath. The use of adhesive tabs also increases the cost of production of the Carr disposable sitz bath.
There is a need for a disposable sitz bath which can be used with a conventional toilet. Such a disposable sitz bath should be economical to produce as well as providing a large volume for complete submersion of the rectal-genital region. In addition, the sitz bath should have an overflow drain in order to prevent liquid from the sitz bath from spilling onto the floor during use.